{
  "slug": "wind-correction-angle",
  "title": "Wind Correction Angle Calculator",
  "heading": "Wind Correction Angle (Crab Angle) Calculator",
  "category": "other",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/wind-correction-angle",
  "summary": "How many degrees to crab into the wind to hold your desired ground track.",
  "description": "Wind correction angle is different from crosswind component — it's the heading adjustment needed to actually track a specific course over the ground rather than just a measure of the sideways force on the runway. Using the wind triangle relationship, this calculator takes your true airspeed, wind speed, and the angle between the wind and your desired course, then solves for the crab angle you need to fly and the resulting groundspeed, which is exactly what you'd compute on a flight computer or E6B for cross-country planning.",
  "formula": "WCA = arcsin((wind speed × sin(wind angle)) ÷ true airspeed). Groundspeed = TAS × cos(WCA) − wind speed × cos(wind angle).",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=wind-correction-angle",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "tas",
      "label": "True airspeed",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 110,
      "unit": "kt",
      "min": 10,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "windSpeed",
      "label": "Wind speed",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 20,
      "unit": "kt",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "windAngle",
      "label": "Angle between wind and course",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": "0 = headwind, 90 = pure crosswind, 180 = tailwind",
      "default": 45,
      "unit": "deg",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 180
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "wcaDeg",
      "label": "Wind correction angle",
      "format": "decimal",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "groundspeed",
      "label": "Resulting groundspeed",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "crosswindComp",
      "label": "Crosswind component",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "headTailComp",
      "label": "Head/tailwind component",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "True airspeed: 110 kt",
      "Wind speed: 20 kt",
      "Angle between wind and course: 45 deg"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Wind correction angle: 7.4",
      "Resulting groundspeed: 95",
      "Crosswind component: 14.1",
      "Head/tailwind component: 14.1"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter true airspeed (kt).",
      "Enter wind speed (kt).",
      "Enter angle between wind and course (deg) — 0 = headwind, 90 = pure crosswind, 180 = tailwind.",
      "Read your wind correction angle on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "tas": 65,
        "windSpeed": 12,
        "windAngle": 27
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "tas": 110,
        "windSpeed": 20,
        "windAngle": 45
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "tas": 175,
        "windSpeed": 32,
        "windAngle": 72
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Estimates assume standard, average conditions — local rules, pricing, and materials vary.",
    "Results are rounded for readability; add a buffer before ordering, booking, or committing.",
    "Double-check anything with a real cost attached against a local quote."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "Which direction do I crab — toward or away from the wind?",
      "a": "Always crab into the wind, meaning turn your nose toward the direction the wind is coming from relative to your course. If the wind is from your right, you crab right; the nose points slightly upwind of your ground track so the crosswind component pushes you back onto course rather than off it."
    },
    {
      "q": "How is this different from the crosswind component tool?",
      "a": "Crosswind component tells you the sideways force to counteract during landing rollout with rudder and aileron, expressed in knots. Wind correction angle is a heading solution for en route navigation — it tells you what compass heading to fly to actually make good a specific ground track over a longer distance, expressed in degrees."
    },
    {
      "q": "What happens if wind speed exceeds true airspeed?",
      "a": "If crosswind speed component exceeds your TAS, there's no heading that lets you hold the course — the wind will always push you off track regardless of crab angle, and the arcsin calculation becomes undefined (this calculator caps it at 90°). This is a real limitation for slow aircraft like ultralights in strong wind."
    },
    {
      "q": "Do I need this for short pattern work?",
      "a": "No — WCA is a cross-country planning tool used before or during a flight to set a heading for a leg of tens of miles. In the traffic pattern you're making constant small corrections visually rather than computing a fixed crab angle, since the wind's effect changes with each leg of the pattern."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/fuel-endurance-range",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/weight-balance-cg-margin"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Wind Correction Angle Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/wind-correction-angle)"
}